Katy Perry and Rihanna became best friends in 2009 when they realized they had the same taste in handbags. “[Rihanna] had this cool studded Valentino bag that had some shiny stuff on it,” Perry told Elle (via Page Six). After complimenting Rihanna on her handbag, the ‘Umbrella’ singer offered to send the same to Perry. Although Perry thought Rihanna wasn’t serious, she was pleasantly surprised when she received the handbag in the mail. “I was like, ‘Wow, she’s a woman of her word,'” Perry said.
The two pop stars have become so close that Rihanna threw Perry a lavish bachelorette party in Las Vegas ahead of Perry’s wedding to Russell Brand, per Radar. Perry, along with her best friend, celebrated with 25 other close friends. In a later interview with Elle, Rihanna gushed about Perry, “I’ll tell you what, you can’t find people like her in this industry. She’s gorgeous, charming and so unique, it’s scary. That’s what intrigued me the most when I first met her. She said it as if she had seen it. (via Okay!).
Although it seemed like nothing would come between them, Perry and Rihanna had a falling out and ultimately ended their friendship.
Katy Perry disapproves of Rihanna’s reconciliation with Chris Brown
Katy Perry first hinted at a falling out between her and Rihanna in 2012 after not seeing her pal since the MTV Video Music Awards, as Marie Claire reported. “We had dinner, and that’s about it. I did not contact her after the incident,” she claimed. Perry appeared to allude to Rihanna publicly kissing her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown at the awards show, three years after he beat her and hospitalized her, per Page Six.
A source confirmed to Us Weekly: “They are no longer close because Katy doesn’t approve of Rihanna dating Chris Brown. Although the two friends have usually sat together at awards shows, Perry and Rihanna sat apart at the 2013 Grammy Awards. Perry sat front row with then-boyfriend John Mayer, while Rihanna was further with Brown.
In July 2013, Perry told Elle UK (via E! News) that she still cares about her former friend. “I love her and every time I see her I remember the light she has. There’s a lot of black in this business,” she said. The interpreter of “Firework” then alluded to the circle of Rihanna. “I know a lot of people with the most damaging entourages – they are the source of their disappearance. It’s really unfortunate, but you can’t save these people. My celebrity rescue days are over. Although Rihanna finally ended things with Brown in 2013, her relationship with Perry still suffered.
Katy Perry and Rihanna blacklist each other at their events
Katy Perry and Rihanna came face-to-face at the 2018 Met Gala. But when the former BFFs were forced to pose together, Rihanna’s face showed she wasn’t happy, according to The Sun. “Because Rihanna was chairing the Met Gala, she had to pose with a lot of celebrity guests, but it was really uncomfortable when she was asked to take the picture with Katy,” a source revealed. What made matters worse was that Rihanna allegedly dropped Perry from the guest list for her after-party.
Perry snubbed Rihanna as early as 2019 when she let Rihanna out of her bachelorette party, this time for her engagement to Orlando Bloom. As reported by Mirror, Perry brought on Shailene Woodley to organize his event and invited stars such as Ellie Goulding and Anna Kendrick. However, Rihanna was not on the guest list. “There is no friendship between them. It’s quite sad. But Katy has found a new circle of friends,” a source told the publication.
There may be hope on the horizon for Perry and Rihanna. After the Fenty Beauty mogul welcomed her first baby with A$AP Rocky in May, Perry gushed to E! News, “I’m so happy for her and congratulations. I know this moment is so precious and it feels like a beautiful and comfortable moment. It’s a beautiful and magical time, so soak it all up. Maybe the two stars can rekindle their friendship and bond with babies this time around.
